What a wonderful way to start 2016. Congratulations to Kate on the birth of Benji. Here’s her story:
“I am delighted to announce the safe arrival of Benji, born New Year’s Day at 7:23pm, weighing 8lb 9oz. Here’s our birth story…
He was born after a long slow induction process in the hospital birth centre (for medical reasons) beginning on 30 December. After an unpromising start with lots of different midwives, delays and inconsiderate ward-mates, we finally got the birth I was hoping for!
We watched the NYE fireworks over the London Eye from St Thomas’s Hospital’s beautiful garden room – best view ever, but felt despondent at the lack of surges 21 hours after the Propess (induction drug). The surges started mid-morning, after the second induction drug (a gel) they give you. After many hours (and with gas & air and paracetamol and using breathing techniques), the midwife said I wasn’t dilated at all so she couldn’t even try to break my waters (next step in induction process). I was so gutted but tried to stay positive with the use of CBS techniques, ticking off each wave as a step closer to meeting our baby, reminding myself that the examination was only a snapshot in time – and of course support from my husband. A couple of hours later I thought my waters had broken. I got rushed to a delivery room where things looked up!
Our midwife was amazing. She entered the room with a smile and said “so, you’re having a baby? Awesome!” and danced a little. She helped us create a calm quiet birth environment with dim lights and music (mostly River Dawn: Piano Meditations but with Long Time Sun from Nadia Hussein’s great pregnancy yoga videos thrown in, which is so beautiful) and later aromatherapy (clary sage and frankincense, then jasmine for delivery of the placenta).
She perfectly balanced absenting herself and helping us. I remember both laughing and crying with happiness between surges as I thought how this was finally my safe space, full of love, where our baby would be born. But then the surges slowed, I wished for more and I was nagged by continual doubts of whether my waters had actually broken (or I’d just had an accident!) as there hadn’t been nearly as much liquid as I’d remembered from my first birth. We therefore accepted the offer of another examination which revealed I was 6-7cm dilated and that the waters had broken but only partially, with most of the waters still trapped higher up. We decided to rupture these as the surges had slowed so much.
After that, the surges came so quickly and powerfully. I was so tired – especially after two sleepless nights – and had some “I can’t do this” moments which my husband and our midwife were brilliant at helping me through, together with telling myself to relax, but I must admit breathing techniques went out the window by this stage. Benji arrived very shortly afterwards, followed by a natural delivery of the placenta and a few stitches. The midwife kindly said that the birth was “beautiful”.
So pleased he’s finally here! Thanks again to the TCBS.”
To see how you can create your own calm birth please sign up here: www.thecalmbirthschool.com/freehypnobirthing-2016
